Automatic swivel trailer-coupling



,II R. FLOOD.

AUTOMATIC SWIVEL TRAILER COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1920,

afented July TILL MIZ -SHEET 2- ssHEUs INVENTOI I -I NNUU Ulllllrl L1 .n was Hunt..

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.l. R. FLOOD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15,1920.

Patented July L9, 192i..

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- l ummm@ umm/mc SWIVEL TRAILER COUPLING.'

tLyQm .lVashington,

armas/r F EVERETT, WASHINGTO'N.

AUTOMATIO SWIVEL TRAILERCOUPLING.

isernia..

T 0 all whom t 77mg/ 00710677711' Be it known that I, JOHN R. FLOOD, a citi@ zen of the United States, residing at Everett, 1n the' county of Snohomish and State of have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Swivel TrailerCouplings, of which the following is a specification.

y invention' relates to an automatic swivel trailer coupler for the more convenient coupling thereto of trailers.

The object ofmy invention is, to provide f a more convenient 'and better type of coupling between' tractors and trailers and particularly vto provide such a coupling which may be controlled in its action and position from the position occupied by the operator of' the tractor. f

`My invention will first be described in the construction illustrated and its principle pointed out and the particular features thereof which are new and for which a patent is desired will then be defined bythe the chassis or claims. In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention embodied in the type of construction which I now prefer to use.

Figure 1 is a sectional the plane extending lengthwise. of the tractor.

Fig. 2 isa. top. or plan view of the same parts.

Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation of the coupling and certain of the associated parts -of a tractor.

F ig. 4 is aview showing in -a diagrammatic character the manner of using the device for couplingup to the lumber buggies or trucks which are commonly about mill and lumber yards.

employed One of the special fields for the use of my v5 invention is upon the type of tractor which is becoming generally used about lumber and mill yards and such a tractor with the ,lumber buggies or carts which are used for transporting lumber in the yards. It is evident, however, that the device may be employed for other purposes than this. I will, however, describe it as employed for this particular purpose, as this purpose has been shown in the accompanying illustrations.

n the drawings l represents side bars of frame of a tractor of the type referred to. Between these parts, at the rear is secured a plate 2. This Specification of Letters Patent. Application led February 16, 1920.

lTwo of these plates 4 .representing a half of a complete disk.

elevation taken onparticularly for connectingVA raten-tea any la, aaai. Serial No. 359,117.

plate may be bent so as to have the central portion 2O thereof supported at a slightly lower le'vel than `its edges 2l, rIhisis, however, a mattei' largely of convenience and getting the coupling the ground. The 'coupling proper is supported from the under side of the plate 2. he coupling member carried by the tractor consists of a funnel-shaped member having a mouth 3U, which is rectangular in outline. The sloping walls of this part of the coupling converge to a throat 3l which is of such size as to receive the complemental coupling member, herein' shown as a bar 32, which is provided at its end with a hole 33 for the reception of the coupling pin.

The inner or forward end of the coupling member 3 isprovided with a pivot head 34 which has a flange 35 atits upper edge, thus forming a circular groove 36 into which project liianges 40 of two retaining. plates 4. are employed, each They are separated along a diameter, as indicated by the dotted line 4l in Fig. 2, and

are bolted to the plate securely holds 'the coupling member 3 and permits free turning thereof in a horizontal plane. At the axisof its rotation it is bored to receive the coupling pin 5. The coupling pin ispivotally connected lwith a bar 50 which is in turn pivoted atits rear end, as by the pin 51,\from the lplate 2 in the. illus tration given, this being secured through the medium of a strap 52 which is secured to the plate 2 and which carries the pivot 5l.

At the under side of a plate v2 is a lever 6- which is herein shown as of a `T-shape,

Apivoted by the pin 55 to a IU-shaped strap plate 2j The plate? has a slot. at 53 which permits passage of one end of thel lever 6. lThis slot is located inimediately beneath Athe lever or barU to which the coupling pin is connected. By swinging the lever 6 in the right direction the bar 50 will be raised carrying with it the coupling pin and freeing the bar 32. This raising of the coupling pin is 'shown as secured through the means of ai lever- 7 which is pivoted at a point, as 70, at the forward 2. This construction end of thc tractoror at such point that it may easily be acted upon by the operatorof the tractor. This lever 7 is provided with two laterally projecting' wing-plates 71,

which furnish a convenient surface for en gagenient by the foot of' the operator. This leverl is connected, as by a rod or cable 72, with the lever 6 which engages the pin raising bar 5.0. e

At cach side of the coupling member 3 is shown earsI 3T to which is connected a clevis and to this is connected a spring, as 8O To the spring is connected a cable, a-s 8l, which extends to the forward end of the tractor, or to the point where the tractor control is situated. A cable ot' this sort is connected to each side of the member 3. It is evident that by suitably pulling upon these cables the coupling member 3 may be swung laterally so as to :face in dill'erent directions. The opposite ends of the cables 8l are secured to a drum or drums, as S2, which has a shaft, as 83. extending upward through the Hoor of the tractor and provided with a crank arm as 84, by which the drum may be turned to thereby swing the coupling member 3. The use otl the spring 8f) in the connection is merely to give the connection a certain amount offelasticity. or to permit of a slight yielding. Exceptfor this it would be unnecesary to use the springs.

Fig. l; illustrates the manner of use of this device for automaticall)V couplingU with a lumber buggy or truck'. lThis truck will be supported so that the reach bar 32, by which it is to be hauled, is supported at a level such as to lie between the levels of the upper and lower edges of the mouth of the coupling member 3. As this coupling member has a rather large mouth it is possible for the operator to so manipulate the tractor as to back upto the cart in such position that the coupling bar 32 will enter the flaring mouth of the complemental coupling member 3 and will be forced backward to the bottom thereof. lf the coupling pin be held raised while this is being done and then dropped after the bar has entered to the proper position, the trailer will be connected to the tractor. Also if the pin 5 be given a beveled end, as the end 56, shown in Fig. 1, the bar 32 in entering will automatically raise the coupling pin and the pin will then drop into the hole 32 in the bar. Vhen the truck has been delivered to the right place the pin may be raised by the operator of the tractor and the tractor driven away leaving the truck behind.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is z- 1. A trailer coupling for tractor vehicles comprising a funnel shaped coupling member pivoted to swing horizontally and provided at its pivot axis with a coupling pin, lines attached to said swinging member and a controlling drum located 'distant therefrom to which said lines are connected.

2. A trailer coupling for tractor vehicles comprising a funnel shaped coupling member pivoted to swing horizontally and pro vided at its pivot axis with a coupling pin a' bar having pivot connections with the tractor and engaging the coupling pin to raise it, a lifting lever pivoted on the tractor and engaging said first named lever, an operating lever,land a link connecting said operatingand lifting levers;

3. A trailer coupling for tractors compris-` ing a funnel shaped coupling member having a flanged pivot head at one side of its inner end, pivot bearing members carried by the tractor chassis and engaging said pivot head, said pivot head having an axial bore which extends throi'igh the inner part of the funnel body, a coupling pin movable in said bore. a bar pivoted to said pin and to the chassis, and means for operating said bar to raise the coupling pin.

t. A trailer coupling for tractors comprising a funnel shaped coupling member having a flanged pivot head at one side of its inner end, pivot bearing members cai'-, ried by the tractor chassis and engaging said pivot head, said pivot head having an axialbore which extends through the inner part of the funnel body, and means for raising said pin operable from the tractor driving position.

5. A trailer coupling Jfor tractor vehicles comprising a bell-mouthed coupling member having a link-receiving channel extending rearwardly from its bel1,.a laterally projecting pivot head thereon having an axial pin-receiving bore extending through the walls of the link-receiving channel and also having a radially projecting flange at its outer end and bearing plates secured upon the tractor vehicle and and pivotally support the said coupling member.

" JOHN n. FLOOD.

pivot head of the flanged to embrace l 

